Kauehi Atoll, Tuamotu
Serai
Jason and Emily Willis
Fri 15 Jun 2007 18:36
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15:49.5S 145:06.9W
The Tuamtous were first discovered, in
1615, by the same Dutchman that named Cape Horn, so I feel like we are at
least keeping good company. So many ships have been wrecked here that it is
known as the 'Dangerous Archipelago', but luckily we have managed to get to at
least one now unscathed. I have decided that we should explain exactly
what an atoll is, as its where we are anchored and many will not have a clue
what it really means. For those of you who do, I apologise for not realising for
so long how clever are so many of our friends and family!
Pacific islands are either volcanic or coral reef
forms or a combination of the two The Marquesas were volcanic and the
Tuamotus are a combination. A bulge develops in the ocean floor just over a
magma source. Over time it grows like a big boil until it breaks the ocean
surface and erupts as a volcano. As long as the volcano keeps erupting then the
island grows. Once it stops erupting then plants start to grow on the land and
reefs start to grow in the sea immediately around the land. Over time the
volcanic land begins to erode and submerge whilst the reef grows strong,
immersed as it is in water. These reefs therefore sustain themselves hundreds of
feet above the ocean floor whilst lagoons form on the inside of this reef, where
the volcano has eroded. Gaps in the reef, which we call passes,
develop because fresh water streams flowing down the volcano in the early stages
prevent coral reefs from forming in certain places and therefore create a gap in
the reef. We use these gaps to get into the lagoons and therefore anchor the
boat inside the all-surrounding reefs. Where the reef forms small islands these
are called motus and lie within the atolls. People live on these motus.
We approached the pass at Kauehi, yesterday
morning. Because the pass is only small, the waters of the lagoon are either
coming out or going in depending on the state of the tide. The rush of water in
either direction can be very strong, so it is really important to get the
timings right. In some passes the current can be running at 10 knots. Because
the passes tend to be a little shallower as well, big waves can develop. We were
fortunate in that the weather was very calm and so conditions in the pass were
easy. Still Serai tore through on an in-going tide at 8.2 knots!
The trip from the Marquesas to here had been a
mixture of emotions. At first frustrating due to a lack of wind. Then on the
second day things improved a great deal and we had some of the best sailing in
the Pacific so far. Sadly it was only to last a day and a night. Then we were
back to no wind, but got over our frustrations and just enjoyed the ride, albeit
a slow one. We caught zero fish despite using my new home-made (as good looking
to fish as Kate is to mere mortals in Lost) Lure. You can imagine my suprise as getting no takers. Not one!
There are 6 boats in our little anchorage,
including our friends on Sifar and Silene. It was nice to welcomed in by them
and we enjoyed dinner on Sifar last night, and looked forward to a peaceful
night an anchor. Of course Murphy decided that this would not be the case, and
we had a terrible night with wind and waves howling through the lagoon and
causing the boat to bang up and down. Of course I was unaware of this until
notified by the admiral this morning and ordered to make tea as the admiral had
been up most of the night ensuring that the anchor did not drag. Oops! So here I
sit, waiting for the tea to brew, in the teapot of course, typing this
email! It looks like I'll be making breakfast too - aah the life of a mere
cabin-boy!
Because of the way these atolls are formed we have
plenty to look forward to. For a start there are quite a few small reefs
actually in the lagoon, near to the boat. We can go and snorkel these! Also,
because of the lagoon, lots of fish realise that there is a good food source in
here held captive for quite a few hours between the tides. This attracts fish.
This is good for fishing! All these fish then attract bigger fish that realise
they can get an easy dinner here. This means there are LOTS of sharks to see!
The locals find the water and logoon perfect for growing Oysters. They farm
these for black pearls. This means Ems can go shopping...Oh joy!
Keep all the emails coming. Its lovely to hear from
you all and catch up on all your news. We will be here for a few days, including
my birthday I think, and then head to Fakarava which is a much bigger atoll
about 30 miles from here.
Till the next time.
Lots of love
J and Ems xx
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